Finest Retreats - Upper Howick House

Beautiful house, very spacious, ideal location for Alnwick shops etc. Nice little garden dog friendly

The fact we didn’t need a key so everyone could get in and out whenever although the screen was very hard to see in the sun. The house was conveniently located for the wedding we were going to. Alnwick is a lovely town.

The number of the house and code were difficult to find in the email. Only 2 showers for 8 people , 1 tiny and 1 that flooded because no one had cleared all the hair out of the drain ( my sister has now done that .. to stop the flood. No recycling information or bins only one black bag for 8 people for 5 days !! no bedside lights in twin rooms. Dining room chairs way too low , I think all the springs have gone , we ended up using outside chair cushions on the dining chairs.

Great location, a lot of space for the family.

Unfortunately the wheelie bin was already full outside so no space to leave rubbish bags.

Size of the house, good beds, good location

The kitchen had not been cleanened properly: crumbs on around the cooker, on the table and the central island Dirty fridge and toaster Dirty microwave, oven and greasy cooker Dirty wall around the the bin area The dining chairs seats and one of the sofas were grubby and sagging from over use. The lounge smelt of dog when we arrived I suspect a reed diffuser was left to cover the smell. the lounge rug was grubby and flattened. We reported our concerns to Finest Retreats and asked for the cleaners to return to clean the kitchen property. Finest Retreats were unable to get any response from the owners or house keepers for a full day, but when the cleaners finally came back the followig day their efforts were half hearted at best and we ended up cleaning ourselves. The house itself is nice and in a great location but it is not properly cleaned and things like the dead plants broken curtains peeling paint, demonstrated general neglect and disinterest by the owners. Sadly it seems that too many house owners are 'setting up shop' to earn vacation rental income for dirty neglected properties without any onsite control or inspection by the holiday booking companies.

Spacious and comfortable house.

Some features in bathrooms and kitchen are more stylish than practical for function.

Location was good, on street parking was available if a little tight. Room sizes were ok - but 1 bathroom was on ground floor , Plenty of kitchenware.

Master bedroom needs a mirror , with socket nearby , better lighting. Could have been cleaner, dust on less accessible parts of the furniture . Dead flowers in vase on mantel place ,Bedside lamp in master bedroom insecure . Only water fall showers - not great if you don't want to wash your hair. Damaged kitchen chair - bolts to secure leg missing . No bin bags, dishwasher tablets , no washing up liquid. Foodstuffs left in cupboard from previous guests - out of date coffee, tea. Broken floor slab in kitchen - significant hazard .